THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
Scripted post-racial palaver: Did anyone ever actually claim that President Obama's election heralded a "post-racial America?"
Over the past quite a few years, this has become an easy straw man for us pseudolibs to knock down. According to Kevin Drum, a columnist in the Los Angeles Times has gone there again today.
Here's where we're forced to chastise Drum. "What I'm curious about is her contention about Obama," he writes. "Back in 2008, did anyone really think that an Obama presidency really meant that a post-racial society was just around the corner?"
"Who were these people?" Drum asks. "And what do they have to say for themselves today?"
On the one hand, Drum is asking a good question. At various times, we've conducted halfhearted searches, looking for someone who actually made that now-famous claim.
We've never been able to find anyone, but the claim is somewhat hard to search for. Here's the problem today:
We're not going to waste our time reading the columnist's possible palaver. It seems clear from what Drum says that she offered zero examples of anyone making that claim.
Nothing new there! For all the scribes who have written that column, we've never seen anyone give an example. Shouldn't you cite an example or three before you shoot down such a claim?
Drum went too easy on this scribe. Press critic, please! We're supposed to insist on examples!
Obama promised improved race relations, at least implicitly. He delivered worse race relations.
ReplyDeleteHow did he do that? By trying to govern against a Congress that believes in doing nothing?
Delete"... at least implicitly."
DeleteNot only is this wrong, it's a lie.
Troll doing what he does best.
Lie and LIAR is SUCH strong terms! Well, if THE SHOE FITS as some say... HOW could ANYONE promise to IMPROVE RACE RELATIONS?! I promise to make David in Cal... MAKE SENSE! LOL.
DeleteDown here in Greater Appalachia (see the book "Nine Nations"), "post-racial" means "no more of that goll-durned affurmytive axshun."
ReplyDeleteBut we're not deplorable, just misunderstood.
Here's a post election article from 2008. Criticizing the "post racial" notion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-oe-steele5-2008nov05-story.html
'Obama's post-racial idealism told whites the one thing they most wanted to hear: America had essentially contained the evil of racism to the point at which it was no longer a serious barrier to black advancement. Thus, whites became enchanted enough with Obama to become his political base. It was Iowa -- 95% white -- that made him a contender. Blacks came his way only after he won enough white voters to be a plausible candidate.
Of course, it is true that white America has made great progress in curbing racism over the last 40 years. I believe, for example, that Colin Powell might well have been elected president in 1996 had he run against a then rather weak Bill Clinton. It is exactly because America has made such dramatic racial progress that whites today chafe so under the racist stigma. So I don't think whites really want change from Obama as much as they want documentation of change that has already occurred. They want him in the White House first of all as evidence, certification and recognition.'
NPR, January 2008
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18489466
You're not right this time Bob. There have been a number of right wingers who have voiced the claim that Obama's election showed race was no longer a problem here. Keep looking.
ReplyDeleteMerkia has actually been post racial since Colon [sic] Powell. His own wife knew better.
DeleteThe issue isn't whether Bob needs to keep looking. The issue is whether the LA Times bothered to cite any examples of the statement or to ask those persons what they think of the status today. Do they just make this stuff up as they go along?
DeleteDGC: there's more than one issue in this post:
Delete"At various times, we've conducted halfhearted searches, looking for someone who actually made that now-famous claim. We've never been able to find anyone, but the claim is somewhat hard to search for."
Unknown @ 9:57 PM simply called Somerby on it.
The answer to your last question - assuming it's not rhetorical - is yes, obviously. What else is new?
That should be to DGP since you probably play rather than catch guitar.
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